Monday of the
First Week in Lent
(Leviticus 19:1-2.11-18; Matthew 25:31-46)
The Scripture readings today strike a balance between
negative and positive actions. Leviticus
emphasizes the former with a list of “You shall not(s).” The gospel, on the other hand, accentuates
the positive. It predicts Jesus reminding
the nations at the end of time that they are being judged on what they did for
the little people of the world. If they
fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and visited the imprisoned, they will be
judged worthy of salvation.
We might ask which is more important, to avoid doing what
is wrong or to do what is right? In
medicine, at least, an answer to this question seems to emerge. The Hippocratic Oath, which physicians have
taken for centuries, clearly sides with the need to avoid evil. After promising to offer dietetic measures to
heal the sick, budding physicians swear not to do a series of evils: hasten
death, induce abortion, and molest patients or householders whom they visit.
It is fair to conclude that avoiding harm is essential
but insufficient. If love is the supreme
virtue, it entails that we act positively toward others. If we cannot do anything directly to support
them, then we should at least pray that their needs be met. During Lent we redouble efforts to examine
our lives daily with two questions in mind. We ask ourselves, “What evil have I done today?”
and “What good have I failed to do?”
